Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 224: Nothing Unusual

As I made my way back to the capital after carrying out Serpina’s orders, I took the time to sort through my tangled thoughts.

Lunarian’s army had risen.

The very force I had been waiting for had finally emerged once more upon the continent.

Lady Luna, whom I had sworn to return to, had reappeared.

Naturally, I should have gone to her immediately.

And yet...

I couldn’t bring myself to take that step.

...I couldn’t bring myself to tell Lady Serpina that it was time for me to leave.

Lately, she had been relying on me more than ever before.

If I suddenly told her, "I’m leaving," without warning... the damage to her state of mind would be severe.

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If I abandoned her now,

If I ruthlessly turned my back on the one who had saved Airen’s life—whom I valued above all else—

Then the shock she would experience might surpass anything I could even imagine.

There was a possibility she would hand the throne to someone else entirely...

Or, in the worst case, she might make an extreme choice.

If Serpina stepped down from the throne, the fate of the unified empire would rest entirely in the hands of her successor.

She had been tested twice already, and there was no doubt—if she fell, so too would her dream.

After the assassination attempt, it had become painfully clear just how much she depended on me.

She called for me more frequently.

And though it was only a temporary arrangement, she seemed to maintain a close relationship with Airen, her knight.

Yes. There was one more thing that couldn’t be overlooked.

If I left...

Then Airen and Reika—who had been rapidly rising in status within the country—would also leave.

While staying in Serpina’s army, I had realized something.

She didn’t have as many true allies as one might think.

It hadn’t been long since one of her most trusted knights had attempted to assassinate her.

When I truly thought about it—aside from her own people—there might not be anyone else who genuinely wanted her to live.

I might be the only one who sincerely wished for her survival.

And that was only because keeping her alive meant keeping my promise to Lady Luna.

Of course, there was another option.

I could leave without saying a word.

I could simply propose that I, along with Airen and Reika, be stationed at the southern border to prepare for war.

Serpina would believe me without question.

Then, without any risk, I could cross the border unnoticed and return to Lady Luna’s side.

But...

No matter what, I couldn’t bring myself to do that.

Serpina wasn’t just someone who had treated me well.

She was the one who had saved Airen’s life.

I hadn’t even repaid that debt yet.

How could I betray her so heartlessly?

I didn’t want to deceive her.

If I was going to leave, I had to tell her.

It was the least I could do as a human being.

When I abandoned Lyn, it was because I had a valid reason.

She had repeatedly tried to take Airen’s life.

To me, Airen was far more important than Lyn ever was.

And Yuri... well, there wasn’t even a debate there.

I hadn’t abandoned her—she had abandoned me.

She had made the unprecedented decision to sell her own envoy.

I hadn’t betrayed her.

She had discarded me first.

Not that it mattered.

I had always planned to leave her eventually.

I held no resentment toward her.

And Serpina...

She was different from Lyn.

She was different from Yuri.

She was, without a doubt, the most brilliant and capable °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° ruler I had encountered since Lady Luna.

A woman who bore the mask of a tyrant—yet carried far too many burdens on her own.

A woman far softer and kinder than she appeared.

One might argue that morality had no place in times of war.

But how could I turn my back on someone who trusted me so deeply?

Someone who depended on me completely?

I was too much of a modern man for such cruelty.

Even beyond ethics—

If I thought about the impact of my departure, the shock it would cause, and the consequences that would follow...

Would it not be better for Lady Luna if I stayed?

In fact, wouldn’t this be the very path to helping Luna seize control of the continent?

Besides, if nothing else, Jinor would undoubtedly reach Lady Luna’s side.

Perhaps, in the end, he could be of greater use to her than I could.

Maybe... she could do well without me for now.

If only I could use my 100 Intelligence to determine the most efficient course of action—

But even then...

I would first need the right questions.

And even if I had them, there was no guarantee that I would like the answers.

...Alright. I’ll stay for now and observe the situation. At the very least, before I leave, I should achieve a military victory. That would be my final duty to Lady Serpina.

For now, that was my conclusion.

***

"You did well today, Swen."

At Serpina’s words, I bowed my head as I always did.

Today, my task had been to organize the reports on the occupying forces stationed throughout the northern continent—including Irian’s forces.

"I only did my duty, my lady."

"..."

She remained silent for a moment before speaking again, her voice careful.

"You seem troubled."

"..."

"Well, it’s not really my place to ask."

She wasn’t wrong.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Ever since Kyle von Eingart had made his survival known, things had become somewhat chaotic.

Of course, he was still a collateral relative.

Serpina was still the one with the purest, most legitimate claim to the throne.

But...

She was no longer the sole heir.

She had gone from being the one and only to merely the most qualified.

And that, in itself, was a blow to her authority.

"What do you think?"

"...Are you asking about Lord Kyle’s faction?"

"No. About Lunarian’s army."

"..."

I closed my eyes.

Yes.

Lunarian’s army.

The army of Lady Luna—

The one I had once sworn my allegiance to.

The one destined to unify the continent.

I had heard that she had betrayed the Karelia army to form her own forces.

Perhaps it wasn’t entirely baseless—

She had been ruling as a vassal, after all.

It wasn’t as though she lacked justification.

But given her rigid and upright nature, it must have been a difficult choice for her to make.

Feigning indifference, I answered.

"She still holds only a single territory. Even with Kyle von Eingart on her side, they are located at the farthest reaches of the southern continent. For now... it may be best to simply observe."

"Hah. I suppose there’s nothing I can do about it just yet."

It was not our role to deal with her.

That was the responsibility of the Karelia army, the Ohana army, the Roland army, or the Hesna army.

The problem, however, was that she had been born with the fate of unifying the continent.

There was no way mere nations like those would be enough to bring about her downfall.

She would likely thrive instead.

I could already envision it—the sight of her nation overcoming seemingly impossible odds.

At least, to me, it wasn’t difficult to imagine.

"Swen."

"Yes, my lady."

"Can you share your thoughts with me now?"

"My thoughts?"

"Did I not say it earlier? You look troubled."

"Ah..."

"Tell me. If it is something I can solve, I will take responsibility and resolve it for you."

At those words, I felt an unexpected sense of comfort.

I smiled and responded playfully.

"And if it is something beyond your ability to resolve, my lady?"

"Hah. To think you would speak so lightly before me."

She let out a quiet chuckle, her voice tinged with amusement.

"You need not worry about that. There is nothing I cannot accomplish."

She had heard me say it herself—countless times—

That I only ever spoke the truth.

That I only ever stated facts.

And yet, even when I had told her directly, "You are not fated to be the ruler who unifies the continent," she had never wavered.

Serpina was a strong woman.

Perhaps she didn’t see herself that way, but to me—

She was unwavering.

"However, there is something I would like to ask of you."

"What is it?"

She turned to me, her golden eyes gleaming, her voice impossibly gentle.

"Become my consort, Swen."

"...Excuse me?"

I was caught completely off guard.

In such a serious moment, she had said something so utterly unexpected—

My shock must have been obvious, because she blushed, amused by my reaction.

For a fleeting moment, as her fragrance of citrus drifted toward me, she didn’t seem like a sovereign ruler.

No—she seemed like a childhood friend, teasing me just for fun.

"Give yourself to me, Swen."

"If you do that, I will do anything for you. Any troubles you have—no matter what they are—I will take care of them. All of them."

"...My lady, that is—"

"I won’t listen to your answer."

She interrupted before I could finish.

"I already know you will reject me. I am not the type to engage in battles where I have no chance of winning."

Then, as if the whole thing amused her, a smirk played at her lips.

"But even so, I cannot stop myself from saying it. If I do not express this feeling, it will suffocate me. If nothing else... let me indulge in this one moment of selfishness, as a woman who is speaking from her heart."

She was so shameless—so impossibly brazen in her honesty.

And yet, she was adorable.

But I couldn’t allow myself to be swayed.

Because I was going to leave someday.

"It would be best not to become too attached to someone like me, my lady."

"Is that your advice as a strategist?"

"Yes. You could see it that way."

She stared at me for a long moment.

Then, slowly, she nodded.

"You are truly kind, Swen."

It was such an unexpected remark that I tilted my head slightly.

"...Pardon?"

"I can see it. You are trying not to hurt me."

I didn’t answer.

I only lowered my head.

And for some reason—

That simple comment hurt.

It unsettled something in me.

"It’s alright."

"...?"

"As long as you stay by my side in some way, that is enough for me."

"So."

"You do not need to marry me."

"Just stay."

Those words—asking me to remain by her side—

It was in that moment that her sincerity truly reached me.

Images of her flashed through my mind.

The moment she had taken me to the graves of her siblings, offering her prayers.

The first time she had opened her heart to me.

The vulnerable look in her eyes as she lay in bed, voice trembling as she spoke.

I knew now.

I understood what this feeling was.

I—

I didn’t want to leave Serpina von Eingart behind.

I didn’t want to abandon her.

A woman who seemed like she could crumble at any moment.

A woman who carried everything on her own, who struggled forward, still holding onto hope, despite knowing she was fated to fail.

Just as I had once thought that I had to save Airen, who had been abandoned by the world—

Now, for the first time since then, I found myself thinking the same thing.

I wanted to save her.

I had to protect her.

At the same time—

I had to keep my promise to Lady Luna.

I couldn’t abandon either of them.

And for the first time, I truly grasped my situation.

I had always thought that if nothing unusual happened, I would return to Lady Luna immediately.

But—

—Something unusual had happened.